


Who Are You Really?

by BillCipherpines



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Eventual Romance, Flirting, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Reader is genderfluid, Reader-Insert, Romance, Second Person Narration, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, gender neutral reader, graham is best grandpa, ryan and the reader are bffs, they/them pronouns, this is a self insert, yaz deserves love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:09:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20245624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BillCipherpines/pseuds/BillCipherpines
Summary: You know nothing about her. Not even her name. And despite the trust they all seem to have for her you find yourself wondering who the Doctor really is.When the TARDIS lands in your room you're sucked into the world of the Doctor. But everything is not as it seems.Edit:I am so sorry that i never finish any large fanfics i either don't have the time or simply fall out of it. I think I'm going to stick to one shots for a bit before I decide to write anymore chapters to this





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% without a doubt the most self-indulgent thing I have ever created

There were a lot of reasons to wake up in the middle of the night. Maybe you need to use the bathroom, maybe it's cold and you need to grab an actual blanket, or maybe your phone is buzzing and you just  _ have  _ to check that notification. A big blue box in the middle of your room is definitely not a reason to wake up in the middle of the night and yet here you were, sitting up in bed at 2 am and staring up at the blue box that had found itself in your room for no particular reason. You were pretty sure this wasn’t a prank seeing as you were the only one here and nobody would actually do that. 

Another thing you were pretty sure of is that you were in fact awake and not actually dreaming about blue police boxes. You tighten your hold on your blanket, holding it close to your chest like some kind of scared six year old instead of getting up and investigating like the actual adult you were. The box made a shuddering sound, like some kind of engine and you decide then and there that this was definitely a horror movie and you were not going to be the black dude who dies first. With speed you didn’t even know you were capable of you leap from your bed and rush out of the room, slamming the door behind you.

The problem with running out of your room is the fact that you didn’t exactly know where to go next, you consider getting your parents but you recall quickly that you just moved into a new house and that they were busy back in the city, getting ready to move things out of your old apartment, your brother is with them you remember cursing the moment you agreed to watch the house for them. There’s a sound coming from your room now, a weird shuffling followed by hushed whispers and you swear that you’re about to get abducted. Slowly, you slink into the kitchen which luckily is down the hall from your room and grab a knife from its holder. Pointing it forward you take careful steps back towards your room, only to leap out of your skin when the door opens, revealing a woman who looked about as scared as you. She pulls something out of her pocket and aims it at you, “who are you!?” she demands, in a light British accent. 

“Who am I!? You’re in my house who the hell are you!?” you’re too busy pointing a knife at her to notice the three other people who have sidled up beside her until her thing-a-ma jig starts making noise. She holds it up to her face like she’s reading from it.

“Ah, you’re only human alright.” Only human? What the hell does that mean?

“What are you doing in my house?” The woman seems to remember you exist with a start, she quickly pockets the device and holds her hands up in surrender.

“My mistake. How about you put the weapon down and we can talk yeah?” You look down at the knife in her hand hesitantly before slowly dropping it to the floor. “Good! That's better now! I’m the Doctor and these are my friends Yaz, Ryan, and Graham!” You blink as the woman…(The Doctor?) makes quick work of turning on the hall light. Seeing the woman clearly for the first time, you find that she’s absolutely stunning. 

The first thing you notice is her outfit, she’s wearing fuckin suspenders (and she’s actually making them look good), a long coat that reaches her legs, and a black shirt tucked into long blue jeans. The second thing you notice as your eyes trail upward is her blonde hair and piercing green eyes, which..are looking right at you. It takes a moment for you to snap out of your stupor, your brain forming new questions a mile a minute.

“Your name...is the Doctor? Doctor who?” the Doctor shivers, grinning from ear to ear she shifts from foot to foot.

“Ask that again!”

You decide to ignore how weird that makes you feel, instead, you say “...right, why are you in my house?” The dark-haired girl, Yaz, is the one who answers this time, smiling apologetically at you from behind her as if silently apologizing for her friend’s behavior.

“Sorry, we were meant to be in the house of Queen Victoria,” you decide not to ask what that could have possibly meant. 

“I said I had the hang of it but Ryan insisted on touching levers!”

“I didn’t touch anythin it was Graham!” You watch as the four friends bicker back and forth, getting increasingly impatient. 

“Hey! Is anyone going to explain a word you said to me?” The Doctor turns to you with a smile, placing her hands on her hips and pushing her load coat back in the process she stands proudly in the middle of your hallway like she didn’t just break into your house.

“I suppose it’s best if we showed you, would you like to see?”

“See what?”

“My spaceship of course!” 


	2. Make Decisions that You Think are Your Own

Within the first couple of minutes of actually seeing the Doctor’s spaceship, several things had happened. One, the little blue box wasn’t so little after all, it was bigger on the inside and a large main room with glowing crystal pillars awaited you once you stepped through. Two, the Doctor was an alien from outer space, this one was obvious, though she had taken the liberty of explaining it to you once you were inside. And three, her spaceship traveled in time. This one was different, you understood, or so you thought, but it didn’t feel real. “So what you guys just travel all the time? You never like..I don’t know stop to sleep or something. Are you all aliens?” The group exchange looks before bursting into laughter, you cross your arms over your chest and huff. The Doctor smiles warmly at you, tugging you further into the ship. 

“We’re from England. We sort of met the Doctor under strange circumstances and now we just..travel with her,” Ryan, the tall one, explains as the Doctor pulls you over to where her group had gathered.

“And you just hopped in no questions asked?” This seems to stump the group for a bit, it was like they hadn’t thought of it like that before. The Doctor frowns, shifting nervously before Yaz speaks up again.

“She saved our lives. And besides, we trust her.” You scoff, taking a solid two steps back. You glance quickly towards the doors.

“Yeah..well as weird as this was I should get back. My parents needed me to watch the house and this is just..too weird.” You turn to leave and you would have made it out the door in one piece if the Doctor hadn’t piped up then and there, rushing to catch up to you. 

“Come with us!” she says, once she managed to grab your arm again. She’s grinning, but her eyes were pleading.

“What? Why?” 

“Well, it is a time machine. I could get you back a minute before you left no questions asked.” You tug your arm away, rolling your eyes you sidestep passed her.

“You couldn’t even get to your original destination. Why should I trust you?” You call over your shoulder as you exit the box and step back into your room, you feel your head clear and suck in a sharp breathe you didn’t even know you were holding. Everything felt lighter, you could only assume it was because that box was fucking cursed. The Doctor, on the other hand, wasn’t giving up without a fight. Why was she so adamant about this? What was so special about you? 

“That was an accident and besides, it led me to you. I see that as a win!”

“My Doctor,” you purr, quick to hide your confusion behind a facade, “are you flirting with me?”

The Doctor sputters, shaking her head as she fights her brain to form coherent sentences. So that’s what makes her uncomfortable. You smirk, leaning closer to her as she takes a shaky step back, “I-I’m not flirting! You’re just interesting! And besides, the more the merrier!” You’re all out grinning now, watching her shake like a leaf.

“That still sounds like flirting Doctor. If you wanted to go out with me you should have just said so. Preferably by not breaking into my house, but you know.” She bites her lip, grabbing onto your arm and catching you off guard for just a moment. You compose yourself, smirking up at her.

“Please?” she asks, seemingly over her nervous breakdown. You take a look around your dark and somewhat empty room and weigh your options carefully. You couldn’t trust this woman, for one she was an alien and for another, you had no idea what she planned to do. Her friends just trusted her without a second thought, and even that felt weird to you. Sure, she had saved them but that story is just as vague.

“I don’t know you..”

“My name is the Doctor, I’m a timelord from the planet Gallifrey. I’m two thousand years old. And I think you’re fascinating.” She says, squeezing your hand in a silent plea. You sigh, biting your lip. 

“Okay..let's travel the stars.”

You hear a loud cheer come from inside the ship.


	3. You Are a Stranger Why Have You Come?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it gets angsty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaz is a bit ooc in this I apologize

Being with the ‘TARDIS Fam’ as the Doctor called it was...weird to say the least if you hadn’t regret your decision before you were definitely starting to now. The first thing you had come to notice about them was the fact that they ran into danger as if they enjoyed it, the Doctor especially. You didn’t sign up to be a superhero, but after landing on your first alien planet you found that you were only able to enjoy it for a minute before some nearby scream pulled the Doctor into action. There was a lot of running, too much running, and jumping and climbing and sleuthing. You don’t exactly go to the gym very often and the only one who seemed to really understand the struggle was Graham, who would give you a sympathetic glance every time the Doctor so much as looked at something with interest. 

The second thing you had come to notice was that the Doctor did not sleep. Which is fine, it’s not like you had a consistent sleep schedule anyway. You stumbled upon her one night (or artificial night really) sitting by the doors and watching the stars as the ship floated endlessly through space. You cleared your throat, shifting nervously from foot to foot as she turned to look at you. “I-I uh, I can’t sleep,” you had said, taking her nod as your cue to step closer to her.

“Need some help? I’ve got some tea.” You shake your head, taking a seat beside her you stare into the void of space with tired eyes. 

“Nah, it never really helps. Besides, you’re not sleeping either.” 

“Oh uh,” the Doctor shrugs, “timelords don't really need to sleep.”

“Everything needs to sleep,” you say, leaning your weight on your arms, “so what’s really going on?” She looks at you with mild intrigue, quirking an eyebrow. You tilt your head, smiling in a way that you hoped seemed at least slightly friendly. 

“I’ve got bad dreams, it happens,” the Doctor says finally, turning to look back at the stars. You assume the conversation ended there, and instead you follow her gaze and the two of you spend the rest of the night in comfortable silence, followed occasionally by the Doctor naming a star or two. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were times where you found yourself falling behind a bit. Failing to understand explanations that others seemed to think were so simple, unable to solve puzzles or riddles or clues. You felt...subpar compared to the others aboard the ship, and not for the first time you wondered what the Doctor saw in you, why she insisted you come aboard. 

Yaz had started to become increasingly frustrated with you, though she kept her demeanor somewhat friendly you knew something was wrong. She finally snapped one day, as you were running from a particular enemy you couldn't remember the name of, followed closely by Ryan and Graham. You were underground somewhere, the robots you had accidentally awoken were shooting left and right at the three of you as you zig-zagged through caverns in order to find the Doctor. The four of you had found her on the other side of a small canyon, Yaz yelling out her name frantically as you neared the gap she was across. “You have to jump!” the Doctor says, opening her arms to catch whoever jumped across first. 

Yaz made the first leap, followed closely by Ryan who took a bit of encouraging and as you and Graham neared the edge you slipped, toppling over and taking Graham down with you as you scrambled for purchase. The two of you fell, you landing close enough to the edge to see the pit you would have fallen into. The sound of robotic stomping increases your anxiety, the enemies hissing voices inching closer. As you lift yourself you apologize profusely to Graham, helping him up. “It’s alright love, no hard feelings,” he says, but you know there are. The first shot rings out and you shut your eyes preparing for the pain that never comes. Instead, the Doctor’s screwdriver wirrs from the other side. 

“I’ve stopped their bullets, for now, now get across!” The aliens hiss in frustration, abandoning their guns to instead advance toward you. Graham jumps first, you take a deep breath and follow quickly after, only noticing Graham had fallen again when you open your eyes. 

"Look at what you’ve done!” Yaz hisses, in the corner of your eye you catch sight of the Doctor checking Graham’s leg, which you’re sure is sprained from the fall. “You could have gotten Graham killed!” You wince, flinching back a bit.

“Yaz stop it! There’s no point in placing blame-”

“You shouldn’t have come! You’re a liability. You should've just stayed home.” Yaz growls, before stomping into the TARDIS. Suddenly the ground looks super interesting. You hear the sound of the Doctor and Ryan taking Graham back inside and you follow them in. 

You see the Doctor again that night after you fail to fall asleep, and you tell her you want to go home.


	4. Lift Me Higher Let Me Look at the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the Doctor have a chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The problem with writing xreaders is worrying that you make the reader seem like a mary sue so you rewrite scenes over and over again

It’s like the Doctor was ignoring you, and yet at the same time she wasn’t. You had asked her to go home, and it’s like the request had woken her up in a sense. Immediately she got to her feet, bouncing about the console room frantically pulling levers. She had apologized for Yaz, once, twice, three times and every time you had told her that Yaz was right that you should just go home. She wasn’t taking it, instead, she spoke over you in a frantic attempt to maybe quiet you. “How about we go somewhere else? Hm? There are so many other planets I can take you-”

“Doctor-”

“Maybe Akaten? Or Venice, or Greece. Have you ever been to Greece?”

“Doctor-”

“Oh or-”

“Doctor stop!” She freezes, her hand poised over a lever on her console as she got ready to pull it. Her eyes wouldn’t meet yours like she was afraid to look at you. You sigh, taking a deep breath you say, “it doesn’t matter where we go. I’ll always be a liability. There’s no point in getting anyone else hurt. I wasn’t made for this. I’m not an explorer, an adventurer, or whatever the hell you think I am.” There’s a moment of silence, the only sound is the wirr of the TARDIS and your labored breathing. Finally, the Doctor’s eyes meet yours, sad and lonely. 

“I’m sorry, I just..I’ll take you home.” You walk over to her, slowly but surely, and place a gentle hand above hers as it closes around the lever. 

“Why are you so lonely? You’ve got..so many friends. You don’t need me here.” The Doctor smiles, it doesn't reach her eyes.

“You reminded me of someone. I may have friends but I always end up losing them along the way.”

“I’m not who you think I am...whoever that may be.” The Doctor nods, you feel her hand as it begins to press down on the lever and you help her push it down. The ship shudders, heading towards what you assume to be your home. Then, suddenly, it stops and the Doctor is walking over to the doors and opening them up. It’s not your house that's for sure, in front of you stands a shifting and almost pulsing nebula existing within the far reaches of the empty space the ship floats in. You stare, wide-eyed at the stars, if you look closely you swear you can make out planets. When you blink, you’re standing beside the Doctor, leaning against the doorframe. She’s eyeing you as if waiting for you to say something. You aren’t sure what she wants from you, what she needs you to say, yet you feel that maybe the moment doesn’t call for it. 

“The Medusa Cascade,” the Doctor says after a moment. You take a seat, your legs dangle out the front of the ship, you feel her shift beside you, sitting cross-legged. Her eyes are still on you when she says, “space changes, constantly. Expanding and forming into something new. It takes time, of course… maybe something stops it for a bit along the way but it will always become something different in the end.” She nods her head towards the stars, “different from what I once knew.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” you say, finally turning to look at her. 

“Everything changes, and everyone. Maybe you feel you don’t fit in now but..you’re special, I know you are.” You shake your head, eyes falling to your nails, which scratch against the skin of your palm. You watch as the Doctor’s hand slides into yours, her fingers slipping between yours as she gives it a soft squeeze. You don’t answer her, or respond at all, instead, you look out into space again, watching it shift and change in comforting silence. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’re still there when morning comes, the Doctor had left to make some tea for the both  of you. You speak to the ship while you wait, finding that it talks back to you eagerly, in a way. The TARDIS shudders and groans in tandem to your conversation, the topics had changed during your wait, at the moment the two of you were ‘speaking’ about the Doctor’s old companions, something you were sure her new ones didn’t even know about. When the Doctor comes back you’re giggling, “you’ve been busy,” you say with a wink, as the TARDIS’ monitor flicks from image to image. The Doctor glared at it, like it had betrayed her in some way, and shut it off. You realize you must have brought up a touchy subject so you clear your throat, “Sorry,” you say, “didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.” The Doctor merely shrugs and hands you your cup of tea. 

“I knew them a long time ago,” she says.

“Were those the friends you lost?” She nods, leaning against the crystal pillars.

“Tell me about them,” she looks at you as if trying to gauge whether or not you’re actually interested. After a moment she delves into a story, which leads into another, then another. The two of you are laughing by the time the rest of the gang makes their way into the console room. 

“What’s going on?” Ryan says, coming up to pat you on the back as if he senses last night’s issue had been resolved. You shake your head, brushing the subject off and turning everyone’s attention to the Doctor, who was now bouncing around the console room muttering something about breakfast planets. “There are entire planets made specifically for breakfast?” Ryan says, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Do they not eat dinner or lunch. Imagine not eating lunch!” Graham chimed in, leaning his aching body against the console. 

“Don’t be silly Graham,” the Doctor says, typing something into the monitor, it glows, symbols you can’t make out appear on the screen. “They just hop to the lunch and dinner planets when it's time.” 

“Wait a minute what?” It’s Yaz who speaks up this time, which startles you for a moment. She pushes off of the rail she had been leaning against and sidles up to the Doctor to look at the monitor as if she could somehow read it. After a moment, she seems to give up trying, crossing her arms and leaning against the Doctor. “Why don’t they just eat..one one planet?”

“Where’s the fun in that Yaz?” Ryan says, to which the Doctor grins and snaps her fingers. 

“Exactly! Point for Ryan for understanding what fun is!”

“I know what fun is,” Yaz mutters, “I also know what practicality is.”

“You can’t have fun and practicality in the same sentence.” While Yaz and Ryan bicker back and forth the Doctor looks up to wink at you, for a moment a story she told you about Rose and Mickey flashes briefly in your mind, and you giggle softly. 

“Now then!” The Doctor says, slamming a button-down, the motion startles the two out of their bickering, everyone gives the Doctor their full attention. “Let's get some breakfast shall we?” As if on cue, your stomach growls in agreement. Ryan is the first to head out, you follow quickly after him. As you leave the two of you spot a pancake shop just down the road from where you had landed, you share a look and then bolt.


	5. And Once I Hear them Clearly Say

You and Ryan came to a quick stop in front of the shop once the two of you had realized you didn’t exactly carry the alien currency. You wait for the Doctor as she strides up to the two of you with a playful shake of her head. The two of you look at her, like children begging their mother to buy them sweets, and she tisks softly before pulling a couple of papers out of her pocket and handing them to the two of you respectively. “That should be enough money to feed the two of you to your heart's contempt.” You take it appreciatively before following Ryan inside the shop.

“We’ll meet you guys back at the TARDIS!” the Doctor hollers, “be careful!” Ryan gives her a thumbs up and you flash her a smile, only for it to fall when Yaz mutters something that makes her frown. With a shake of your head, you focus back on following Ryan to the counter as he points awkwardly at what he wants to order. Once he’s finished you do the same, stuttering over your words in an attempt to get the alien at the counter to understand you. They didn’t look much different than humans, albeit with large ram-like horns and jagged teeth. You tried your best not to stare, this wasn’t your first alien planet with the Doctor, but after running for so long, taking a moment to stop and look around was something you hadn’t really done. 

The shop itself looked like an Earth cafe, cozy and warm with different aliens littered about minding their own business. Your food comes fairly quickly and you happily take it with a grateful nod before joining Ryan at the table he had chosen in the far corner.  He was munching happily on his pancakes, syrup dripping down the sides of the pieces he cut out of it. “You know,” you say, taking a bite of your food, “I thought the food would be more alien.”

Ryan shrugs, swallowing a mouthful, “who knows, maybe pancakes are a universal delicacy.”

“True, true. I would agree that pancakes and waffles are the greatest creation known to man and alien alike.” At this, Ryan laughs taking a sip of his drink which at a closer glance you realize was some kind of blue substance. 

“So, you and the Doctor,” Ryan says meeting your eye with a smirk as if his statement was supposed to mean something to you.

“Uhm, elaborate on that please.”

“Well,” he takes another bite, speaking as he chewed, “I jush mean. You two seem to be gettin' pretty close.”

“Aren’t you all ‘pretty close’?” you mutter, your eyes focused solely on the food you were pushing about your plate. 

Ryan just hums, “you know what I mean.”

You roll your eyes, leaning back in your seat, “I’ve got no idea,” you shove the last of your food into your mouth and stand. Ryan quickly shovels the rest of his into his mouth before following you. It’s harder for him to speak with all that food in his mouth but that doesn’t stop him from pestering you as you attempt to find the TARDIS. After a moment, he speaks up again, running to catch up to you when you pick up your pace.

“Nothin' to be ashamed of mate, I mean I get it,” you shake your head opting to ignore him this time. The TARDIS looms overhead, your saving grace, you run up ahead only to find it devoid of the rest of the gang. You try the door, it’s locked. “Maybe they’re still eating?” Ryan supplies after you’ve tried to coax the TARDIS into opening her doors. She adamantly refuses, shuddering almost angrily. 

“No,” you say, “the TARDIS wouldn’t be acting like this if something wasn’t wrong.”

“Okay wait, you talk to the TARDIS and you’re gonna tell me right now that you don’t have feelings for the Doc?”

“What does mean talking to the TARDIS have to do with my feelings?”

“So you admit you have feelings?” Ryan grins, and you glare at him.

“Can we focus please, something’s wrong. Where could they be?” Ryan seems to sober up, quickly he pulled his phone out and dials a number before putting to his ear and waiting. After a moment he lets out a frustrated groan and shakes his head at you. You consider your options then, the Doctor is somewhere on this alien planet and knowing her she was possibly in some sort of trouble, the TARDIS won’t open its doors and you didn’t know what to do. You knew she had Yaz and Graham with her, and a part of your brain told you that she should have been fine, but another part of you is worried sick about her. You pace in front of the ship, weighing your options. You couldn’t be trusted with shit like this, you were nothing but a liability. Coming to a stop you turn to Ryan, “okay, we can’t reach them. Our best option is to stay here until they come back. They could be anywhere, and if we wander off she’ll be worried sick.” Ryan nods in agreement, and for a second it seemed like things were settled, then the two of you shared a look then took a look down the road ahead of you.

“They could be in trouble.”

“The Doctor is smart.” You share another look and come to a silent understanding that the Doctor may be smart but she was also in fact and idiot, and with one final look down the road you bolt.


	6. Who Are You Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Doctor shows a side of her you never knew she had

Finding the Doctor and her friends were a bit harder this time, mostly because neither of you was exactly equipped to go on rescue missions. You managed to track their whereabouts by asking the locals. Luckily, the TARDIS was still translating for you. The tracks led you down to a nearby alleyway, things went south from there fairly quickly. Something grabbed you.

You called out Ryan’s name.

Then everything went black.

You could hear the scrape, scrape, scrape of your shoes against the concrete as you came to. Your eyes opening and closing to adjusting to blinding fluorescent light. Two large well-muscled aliens were dragging you through a darkened corridor to an unknown destination, the worst part was that Ryan was nowhere to be found. Your heartbeat quickened. You worried for your friend, weakly thrashing against the alien’s clawed grip. For a moment you blacked out again, and when you woke next there was the sound of metal scraping and something slamming. You blinked.

Once.

Twice.

“Doctor?” it hurt to speak, “Ryan!? Yaz!? Graham!?” you scramble to your feet, pressing your body against the cold metal bars of your prison. Whatever the aliens used to knock you out it wasn’t good for your head. You recognize the aliens marching toward you with something else in tow. Ryan? It definitely was Ryan. His body sagged uselessly as they dragged him past you and down the corridor. “Ryan! Hey, let him go!”

“y/n?” you freeze, that wasn’t Ryan. That was.

“Doc?” you take a look towards the source of the sound. To your right the Doctor stood, her hands curled around the bars of her cell, she looked worried. 

“What did they do to you?” she whispers, and for a moment you don’t understand what she means then you bring your hand up to your head, it stings, something wet touches your fingers. Blood. 

“I-I’m fine. I swear don’t worry,” you try to reassure her, but her eyes are cold, calculating. You hadn’t seen her like this before, it was terrifying. “Have you seen Yaz or Graham?” you attempt to change the subject, you need to focus on the matter at hand. 

The Doctor nods, “three cells down, they put Graham and Yaz in the same one,” she points further down the hall to the right of her. “I saw them take Ryan,” she says, you nod.

“Okay, so what’s the plan?”

“Apparently, we’ve been captured by the mafia. Their big name ring leader wants to have a word with me.”

“Leave it to you to be captured by the mafia.”

“Oi!” the Doctor hisses, “I didn’t ask for this,” you giggle, it seems to lighten the mood at least a bit. Down the hall, the two of you hear a heavy set of footsteps and loud chittering. The guards return, this time for the Doctor. They pull the cell door open and roughly tug her out. She yelps in pain.

“Doctor! Leave her alone!” The aliens seem to pause for a moment as if considering something. Then, the larger of the two takes a step towards your cell. You back up, hitting the wall with a soft grunt. 

“All bark and no bite,” it growls, pulling the door open. It reaches out a large clawed hand and grips your arm, hauling you up. You scream, kicking at it but to no avail. It’s too big for you, you’re no match for something like this. 

“Let them go,” the Doctor’s voice is cold, it makes you shiver. The alien, however, merely laughs at her before hauling the two of you out of the apparent dungeon and into another room. This one far more homey, elegant almost, someone with a lot of money lived here that was for sure. But how? As far as you could tell the planet had been mostly shops and food vendors, this seemed unlikely. The TARDIS was still translating, and from what you knew of her she couldn’t do so if you were on another planet. You didn’t have time to think more about this because your body was being tossed onto a marble floor. You let out a grunt, struggling to get up again only to fall flat onto your stomach. The Doctor wretches from the alien’s grip with vigor, brushing her self of imaginary dust before facing what you presume to be your adversary. She doesn’t spare you a second glance, you know you must have done something wrong.

The big bad alien in question was a large humanoid one, with curled ram-like horns and goat-like legs. A satyr, maybe? But those didn’t exist. This one was different though because unlike a satyr the alien had jagged teeth and hooked claws. It was sitting at a grand desk, like some kind of CEO, “You come to my planet unannounced and think I won’t find out about it?” it’s voice was gruff, but the creature itself was gangly, skinny almost. 

“Oh, my apologies,” the Doctor says, her voice dangerously cheery, “but last time I checked, your name wasn’t plastered on this planet.” 

The creature, clearly taken aback, schools its features before pointing towards you. “Take the small one, hold it steady!” You feel yourself being lifted again, claws digging into your arm that you were too weak to fight against. 

The Doctor’s eyes were trained on the creature, angrier than ever. “So,” she says nonchalantly parading about the room, “this is your place huh? Nice nice, very posh. You make a lot of money off the hard work of the people here don't you?” 

“Speak another word and I will kill this one, then I will kill the rest of your friends.” The Doctor laughs. Actually _ laughs _ like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. The guard’s grip on your arm becomes tighter. _ Oh, gods, she’s gonna kill me _you think as she surveys the marble office. 

“No,” she says, “I don’t think you will, do you want to know how I know?” The creature snarls, nodding its head towards the guard holding you who wraps its large hand around your throat and squeezes. “I know,” the Doctor continues, stepping closer to the desk until she was practically leaning over it, you feel your throat constrict, “because if you so much as lay a hand on any of my friends I will topple your empire to the ground in seconds.” For a moment, the creature studies her face and you wonder what it sees because next thing you know, you’re being dropped to the floor and you gulp in the air like a lifeline. The Doctor takes a step back, her eyes trained on the leader. “Good, now, you took something from me and I want it back, along with the rest of my friends. You know I’m not bluffing.”

“You can’t possibly destroy us! Our empire has existed for generations,” The creature’s fist slams the desk, like a child throwing a tantrum. The Doctor’s answering grin is almost predatory, a smile like that of a wolf teasing its prey. 

“One word and you fall like a domino. I could crumple you to the ground. I’ve done it before for much, much less.” The creature releases a series of gruff chitters, you manage to lift yourself up and throw yourself out of the way before it’s lackeys can get a hold of you again. Your entire body hurts like hell, the larger one grabs your legs and pulls you back. “Don’t believe me? Fine.” The Doctor turns her gaze toward the henchmen, her eyes flicker to you for only a moment before she takes a step toward them. The one not holding you bounds up to her and with one finger on its neck she paralyzes it then whispers something into its ear and takes a step back. The alien’s eyes flicker over to its boss and it hisses in anger.

“What?” the boss looks taken aback, and the alien chitters angrily in response. You have no idea what’s being said but the other alien drops you like a sack of potatoes, and the Doctor swoops in to lift you up. While they argue, she snatches her screwdriver from the henchman’s pocket and presses it into your palm. 

“Will you be able to make it back to the cells?” she asks. You consider it for a moment, your entire body is on fire, every movement aches but you’re too afraid to tell her to know. Her gaze is still hard, her jaw locked, you nod taking the screwdriver from her and making a slightly limped run towards the direction you came from. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding your friends wasn’t difficult. You managed to find Ryan first, fiddling with the screwdriver settings until you could properly unlock the cell and pull him out. He wasn’t as injured as you, so when you felt your energy depleting you used him as a large pillar. He carried you over to Yaz and Graham, the younger of whom was pacing worriedly back and forth. She turns to look at the two of you, her demeanor lights up instantly. “You’re okay!” she says as you unlock the door, you avoid eye contact, still unsure where you stand with Yaz. You feel blood trail down the side of your head. Graham pushes passed Yaz to give you a once over. 

“You poor thing,” he says, helping Ryan keep you balanced, “where’s the Doctor.” you shake your head, shutting your eyes for a second before answering.

“She’s dealing with them, we should get out of here.”

“What were those things?” Yaz asks as the four of you make your way up the stairs and out of the cellar. 

“Looked like goats to me,” Ryan says.

“How do we get out of here?” Graham mutters, surveying the room you had stepped into. It was different from before, you had exited through the other side of the cellar ending up in another part of the...house? Mansion? You had no idea what this place was. You could hear angered chittering from the other room and decidedly the four of you avoid it and head in the other direction. 

If there were more guards they definitely weren’t around. You wonder if the Doctor had something to do with it. You hear a crash, Ryan and Graham pick up the pace. Like a miracle you could make out the front door, pushing you forward they rush out into the street. Okay, step two. You had to find the TARDIS, the only problem was you didn’t know how far you are from it, and none of you knew where the Doctor was. “She has to be inside,” you mutter, lifting your aching body out of Graham and Ryan’s grip to try to go back inside. 

“Woah!” Yaz says, pulling you back, “where do you think you're going?”

“Have to help her...s’my fault.”

“None of this was your fault, you aren’t thinking straight,” Ryan says, placing a reassuring and guiding hand onto your shoulder. Before you could protest the Doctor flies out of the door her coat whipping as she skids to a stop in front of you. Gently, with a level strength, you didn’t know she had, she lifts you up into her arms.

“Doctor you’re okay!” Yaz says her friends murmuring in collective relief.

“Of course I am,” she says, her voice right, vibrating in her chest where your headrests. Before you can feel any sense of relief, you blackout.


	7. And where, where are you going?

When you awoke it was inside the TARDIS. You recognized her soft humming as you came to. Bright, fluorescent lighting blinding you for a moment, you blinked to adjust and as you did you could make out the sound of scuffling. You make your presence known by attempting to sit upright, only to find that your chest and wrist were covered in bandages. You can make out the shape of the Doctor as she makes her way towards you and places a gentle hand onto your forehead, brushing a strand of hair out of the way. “Oh good,” she says, “I’m glad you’re awake. I was worried for a moment there.”

“We’re safe?” you ask, brushing her hand from your head. You fail to notice her pouting because you’re too busy trying to sit up again.

“Be careful,” she says, helping you lift yourself into a sitting position. 

“I’m fine,” you mutter. She scoffs like she doesn’t believe you, but really you can barely feel the pain anymore. It hadn’t been the first time you’ve been hurt. You tended to get into fights in high school, and in college, you would let off steam by punching the gym bag until your knuckles bled. This was nothing, maybe a bit of an ache but nothing bad enough that you couldn’t fend for yourself. The Doctor didn’t seem to buy it though and after an extensive amount of ‘I’m fine’s and ‘leave me alone’s you had succumbed to your fate and allowed the Doctor to check you over. Once she deemed you fit she helped you off the table and into the kitchen. At the sight of the others, you quickly shoved her off of you. You weren’t one to be coddled, especially in front of other people. Slowly, you limp your way over to the fridge and grab yourself a snack before joining the others at the table.

“Oh Y/N we’re glad you’re okay!” Graham says, ruffling your hair. 

“Yeah mate, glad to see you’re up and running,” Ryan says through a mouthful of food.

“How long was I out?” you ask, opening the yogurt packet you grabbed. 

“A week,” it was Yaz who answered this time, her tone almost worried. You offer her a smile as if to reassure her. It works, she smiles back at you in silent apology and you feel a sense of relief flood through you. “The Doctor says you were very brave,” Yaz speaks up again, nodding towards the Doctor who was shuffling about the kitchen avoiding eye contact. 

“Really? I’m pretty sure she did all the heavy lifting.” you joke with a shrug, “but not to toot my own horn, I think I was pretty good.” the group laughs and you feel the atmosphere become more relaxed.

“You could have died,” then the Doctor opens her mouth and it's back to square one again. 

“Yeah well I didn’t,” you mutter, taking a bite of your yogurt.

“But you could have!” Beside you, the others tense, you’re not facing the Doctor but you know her eyes are on you. You don’t want to look at her, not after what you saw back there. The cold in her eyes was too much to bear when it was directed at someone else, but on you it was terrifying.  _ She’s a thousand-year-old alien, you don’t know what she’s capable of  _ the nagging voice in your head supplies as you force yourself to straighten in your seat.

“Hey Yaz, remember that thing we had to do?” Ryan says finally.

“O-oh yeah! The thing! Graham come help us with the thing?”

“What thing?” Graham asks as the others start to rise from their seats and clear out of the kitchen. He follows after them anyway, a confused look plastered on his face as he makes his way out. 

Once they’re out of sight you take a deep breath and force yourself to turn towards the Doctor, who eyes you worryingly. Her gaze wasn’t what you thought it would be, she looked almost vulnerable, afraid. “I’m fine,” you tell her once the silence stretches on for too long.

“You could have died.”

“I didn’t Doctor, I didn’t die so why do you keep bringing it up!” she flinches, turning back to the tea she had been making earlier. You sigh and make your way over to her, leaning against the counter you tilt your head so her eyes are forced to meet yours. “Tell me what’s wrong?” The Doctor bites her lip as she makes herself busy by setting the water to boil.

“If you had gotten hurt, it would have been my fault,” she said, at last, speaking again when you open your mouth to argue. “I brought you here, you didn’t even want to come.” frowning, you gently grab her chin and turn her head towards you. 

“I’m glad I came,” you say, watching her eyes widen and her cheeks redden, “granted, you’re a pain in my ass but I wouldn’t trade this, or you, for anything.” you let her go, but she grabs your hand and gives it a squeeze. She smiles at you, genuine and beautiful and you find yourself smiling back. You see her start to lean in and for a moment you’re taken aback. Is she going to kiss you? Do you want to kiss her? You didn’t get a chance to decide because the kettle starts to whistle and she’s pulling back again, ducking her head to her hair hides her face as she turns off the heat and waits for the kettle to cool down. She makes you both tea, and you decide to drop your worry for now, in favor of spending the night telling stories.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You had forgotten fairly quickly about your ‘almost kiss’ with the Doctor, the gang was back in the swing of things the next day and all that running and fighting left you no room to think about what had happened. You were so caught up in the traveling that you almost didn’t notice how strange the Doctor was behaving.  _ Almost. _ If it weren’t for Ryan’s side glances and Yaz’s worried looks you wouldn’t have noticed at all. Once you had started paying attention, though, you realized that she was avoiding you in a way. She wouldn’t look at you, when you walked beside her she would find something to get distracted by, she didn’t compliment your ideas anymore. You thought hard about what you could have possibly done wrong and after the hundredth time, she walked away from you you had assumed it was because of the fight the two of you had. But you talked about it, or so you thought. 

After a hard day of running, jumping, fighting the crew had returned to the TARDIS tuckered out. They sagged as they walked, all except the Doctor who strutted chipper as ever into the TARDIS. “Come on you lot! It was only a hoard of cybermen.” the group groans, slinking into the TARDIS. You stretch, offering the Doctor a friendly smile when you noticed her stare, only for it to drop when she quickly looked away. 

“Okay,” you murmur to Yaz who had flopped herself onto the couch with an over dramatic sigh, “what’s her problem?” you join her slumping your body and letting the couch suck you in like a memory foam mattress. Yaz shakes her head, her eyes flicker over to the Doctor who was busy setting the TARDIS into flight mode. Beside you, Ryan flops onto the other side of the couch, you lean into him with a tired wail. 

“I can’t feel my legs,” he whines, you giggle into his shoulder. Beside you, Yaz watches the Doctor tense and move her way around the console quicker than before, every now and again her eyes will flicker over to where you’re sitting beside Ryan and she would seem to grow ever more impatient, fidgety and angry. She nudges you tilting her head towards the Doctor as if telling you to go talk to her, you scrunch your nose in distaste. _ If she had a problem with me she can tell me herself,  _ you think bitterly. Yaz gives you a glare as your face scrunches up and with a heavy sigh, you sit up and force your body off the couch. Yaz grabs Ryan’s arm, he mutters angrily as she drags him out of the room. The situation is all too familiar, you wonder when you and the Doctor will finally stop fighting. Either she hasn’t noticed you, or she’s purposely ignoring you as you stride over to her. 

“Doctor,” you say, waiting for her attention to be on you, she’s pressing buttons on the console randomly at this point trying to look occupied. “What’s your problem?” you say, growing ever more impatient, the Doctor glares at the console like it insulted her family name. “Doctor-”

“Are you..” the Doctor speaks up, “are you and Ryan...you know.” No, you don’t know, but you’re not supposed to be rude, so you give her more time to put her thoughts in order. “Are you..dating?” It takes everything in you not to laugh. Instead, you shake your head and swallow a giggle. 

“Hell no! We’re just friends!” the Doctor’s shoulders seem to relax, she turns to you and sighs.

“Good,” it takes her a moment to realize what she said, her eyes widen, “I-I mean! You know, it's just good because...it would've been-” 

“Doctor,” you purr, taking a step towards her as she backs herself against the console, “were you jealous? Is there something you wanna tell me?” You think you have her figured out, floundering and stuttering as her back digs into the console, and yet you’re still taken aback when she closed the distance between you her lips pressed softly against yours as she pulls you by the hips. You melt into it easily like you had been waiting forever for it. One hand cards itself through her hair, the other cupping her cheek as you tilt your head to deepen the kiss. She hums against your lips, slipping a hand up your shirt. For a moment, it seems like things were going to go a little farther, that is, until you hear the sound of shuffling behind you and two sets of muffled voices. Instinctively, you push yourself back but not far enough for her hold on you to deter. 

“That was-” 

“Good,” you hum, pressing a quick kiss to her lips again before taking a full step back, “very good,” you say before heading further into the TARDIS, being sure to give Ryan and Yaz quick glares as you pass them.

**Author's Note:**

> if you want to make a request or see more of my fics follow me on tumblr: gayforthe13th
> 
> you can follow me here as well:  
Tumblr: Illuminatethetrash  
Twitter: Illuminatetrash


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